MENLO PARK, 26 – The head of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg showed off augmented reality (AR) glasses which are said to be the most advanced glasses in the world yesterday.
The so-called large black-framed prototype Orion able to attach a holographic image to the wearer’s vision and with the aim of rivaling smartphones.
“The right way to look at Orion is as a time machine,” Zuckerberg said during the opening event of Meta’s annual gathering of software developers at the tech giant’s home campus in Silicon Valley.
“These glasses exist; they’re great, and it’s a glimpse of the future that’s going to be quite interesting,” he said.
User acceptance is said to be relatively slow to wear devices on the head or headgear such as the expensive Vision Pro from Apple or the cheaper Meta Quest model for exploring AR or virtual reality (VR).
So, Meta is confident it can win over consumers by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced technology into traditional glasses Ray-Bans which is stylish and can do things like answer questions about what is being viewed or act as a translator for conversations.
Orion, which is being tested internally at Meta, pushes the technology further to allow users to attach digital content to their view of the world.
Zuckerberg has stated that he hopes to create an AR device that will break the monopoly of Apple and Google in developing applications and products for consumers through smartphones.
“With Orion, we’re one step closer to achieving the dream of creating the next major computing platform that delivers a greater sense of presence, like you’re right there with other people,” Zuckerberg said.
“This is the physical world with a hologram superimposed on it,” he said.
Zuckerberg warned that Orion is still a work in progress and will take years to become a product.
His team is working to make the glasses more simple, stylish and affordable, he said.
The glasses weigh about 100 grams, heavier than a regular pair of glasses but significantly lighter than the Meta Quest or the Apple Vision Pro.
Orion users who are near or far, can interact with each other by chatting or playing virtual games.
Wristbands connected wirelessly to Orion can receive signals such as tapping a finger to make a call or reply to a message.
“You’ll be able to tap your finger and bring a card game or chess or holographic ping pong or whatever you want to do together,” Zuckerberg said.
Orion also has eye-tracking technology and listens to the user’s voice as a control method. – AFP
